Angel101
July 12th, 2015, 04:24 PM
I thought I'd take a bit to discuss what I consider one of the most important steps in writing poetry: revision. It's an important step in all writing, but for some reason I've seen that poets are less inclined to take it. What I'm about to write is derived from my own experiences with revising, but also from what I've learned reading articles, such as Nate Pritts' "How to Focus on Revision" in the 2014 Poets Market.
The first piece of advice that I can give anyone who is thinking about revising their poems is wait. Giving yourself space from your poem prior to revising it will help you revisit it with a fresh critical perspective. Wait at least 3 months after writing, or longer if you can stand it. For instance, everything that I am posting on here for critique is at least a year and a half old. The beauty of this is that if someone else rips it apart and tells me it's shit, I already think it's shit anyway. I've allowed myself time to grow as a writer before looking at my old writing, which helps me be both perceptive and receptive of its flaws.
The point of revision is partly to get back to your initial reason for creation, to try and remember what you were trying to accomplish and use the new perspective you've gained to get your poem where it was supposed to be. Again, this is easier when you've given yourself enough distance to detach yourself from the poem. Why? Because now you can act as both a reader and a writer. As its writer, you can see the potential of your initial vision. As its reader, you can see where the poem is failing that vision.
Another thing to consider when you revise is how you revise. Revision should go beyond mechanics. It's not just commas and word-choices. In the article I mentioned above, Pritts talks about two kinds of revision: intuitive revision and intentional revision. Intuitive revision is the choices you naturally want to make when you revisit an old poem. You might see a word that isn't right or a sentence that isn't working. If you're in a workshop environment, you might be inclined to automatically take what you see as good advice. These are all good things. Once you've gotten into revising enough, these things will also happen as you're writing new work. You'll change words, move sentences, cut lines, and so on.
But then there is intentional revision, and this is where you consider the very foundation of your poem and make more drastic changes. It is important to play with your poem. Does your poem take place in the spring? What happens when you change the setting to winter? What happens when you make the end of your poem the beginning of your poem? Is your speaker feeling sad? What happens if you make him apathetic? These changes may not always lead to a better poem, but in trying you are considering the range of your idea. I have had success in doing this. For instance, I wrote a poem last year where my speaker made "the worst mistake" of her life. In revision, I changed this idea to "the best mistake." It completely changed the way the poem read and made my initial reason for writing the poem ring through more clearly. That poem was accepted for publication a few months later.
I'll write more on this when I have a little more time, but I want to end by saying this: it is your poem, so ultimately, what happens to it is up to you. I think it's important to remember that when you're in a workshop environment. People will give you advice, but you don't have to take it. Consider all the advice you receive, but listen to your instincts. We all have different styles, different approaches to poetry. Listen to your voice, but also, don't be afraid to challenge it. Try to push yourself, to go outside your comfort zone. It is the only way to grow.
The first piece of advice that I can give anyone who is thinking about revising their poems is wait. Giving yourself space from your poem prior to revising it will help you revisit it with a fresh critical perspective. Wait at least 3 months after writing, or longer if you can stand it. For instance, everything that I am posting on here for critique is at least a year and a half old. The beauty of this is that if someone else rips it apart and tells me it's shit, I already think it's shit anyway. I've allowed myself time to grow as a writer before looking at my old writing, which helps me be both perceptive and receptive of its flaws.
The point of revision is partly to get back to your initial reason for creation, to try and remember what you were trying to accomplish and use the new perspective you've gained to get your poem where it was supposed to be. Again, this is easier when you've given yourself enough distance to detach yourself from the poem. Why? Because now you can act as both a reader and a writer. As its writer, you can see the potential of your initial vision. As its reader, you can see where the poem is failing that vision.
Another thing to consider when you revise is how you revise. Revision should go beyond mechanics. It's not just commas and word-choices. In the article I mentioned above, Pritts talks about two kinds of revision: intuitive revision and intentional revision. Intuitive revision is the choices you naturally want to make when you revisit an old poem. You might see a word that isn't right or a sentence that isn't working. If you're in a workshop environment, you might be inclined to automatically take what you see as good advice. These are all good things. Once you've gotten into revising enough, these things will also happen as you're writing new work. You'll change words, move sentences, cut lines, and so on.
But then there is intentional revision, and this is where you consider the very foundation of your poem and make more drastic changes. It is important to play with your poem. Does your poem take place in the spring? What happens when you change the setting to winter? What happens when you make the end of your poem the beginning of your poem? Is your speaker feeling sad? What happens if you make him apathetic? These changes may not always lead to a better poem, but in trying you are considering the range of your idea. I have had success in doing this. For instance, I wrote a poem last year where my speaker made "the worst mistake" of her life. In revision, I changed this idea to "the best mistake." It completely changed the way the poem read and made my initial reason for writing the poem ring through more clearly. That poem was accepted for publication a few months later.
I'll write more on this when I have a little more time, but I want to end by saying this: it is your poem, so ultimately, what happens to it is up to you. I think it's important to remember that when you're in a workshop environment. People will give you advice, but you don't have to take it. Consider all the advice you receive, but listen to your instincts. We all have different styles, different approaches to poetry. Listen to your voice, but also, don't be afraid to challenge it. Try to push yourself, to go outside your comfort zone. It is the only way to grow.